After a few relaxing days at Sun-N-Fun, we headed a bit north to Bradenton, Florida. We got a lakefront RV site, our first ever waterfront camping spot! We could see the pool (and lake) from our windows. It was just a short 3-minute walk to the pool. A pretty stellar setup.
We left Sun-N-Fun because we could only stay there for 2 nights at 1/2 price thanks to Passport America. Our new place, Winter Quarters – Manatee, was only $40/night for a premium site. Besides the cost and amenities, we chose it for its proximity to Lakewood Ranch. Lakewood Ranch is a huge master-planned community that’s experienced huge growth over the last few years. In a way, it’s The Villages for families. As outsiders with limited knowledge of Florida communities, it seemed like a safe place to relocate. Great schools, a happening, growing community. And awesome houses. So each day we explored a few of the “villages” or neighborhoods within Lakewood Ranch. After dinner, we’d come back to the RV and enjoy the pool. It was a great routine!
After a few days of house hunting, we decided to do something more traditionally fun. Don’t take this the wrong way – the kids LOVED looking at houses. Sometimes, they’d ask to look at more. But we talked to a lady at the pool one evening and she recommended we go to Mote Aquarium. We’d seen the signs each time we’ve been in this area, so decided to finally go. And we’re glad we did. It was a great time. The kids loved seeing the animals and fish. It’s the perfect size for our age kids – and even a bit older. We spent about 2 hours and saw the entire place.
After the aquarium, we ate lunch and had an afternoon at the beach. Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island, a beach we enjoyed in the winter of 2018. Adelaide loves the beach, but this was the first time Emerson had fun too!
Clearly, we’ve had a great stay here. And it’s not over! We’re heading down to Naples for a few days to visit Karissa’s parents at their home. Rather than bring the RV down there and/or put it in storage somewhere, we’ll just pay for a few nights and not have to move the rig. Storage usually costs $50-75/month in this area, so paying for 2 nights at $40/night is about the same cost without the friction. And we can arrive back and not have to set up again right away.